Author Topic: Little Kathy and me (Read 26158 times)

saw · « **on:** January 31, 2011, 02:22:47 PM »

After nearly thirty year I have taking up an old hobby that I really love, working with a mill and a lathe, making steam engine and things around it.

It is such a feeling, after many hour and late nights, the project I was working on, finally been successful.

Some weeks ago I’ve got a packet from Tiny Power, US. It was a casting kit of a steam engine called “Little Kathy“. She was presented in a nice box, with plans and a reprint of an orginally article from 1926 published in The Modelmaker magazine.

There was something about Little Kathy makes me looke a little closer to her. The velve cheest is diffrent then Stuart 10 for exampel. The appearance makes her to look like the real thing – a Steam Engine.

One thing, to try to make something from US is that they always talk about inch, I on the other hand, is born and raise with millimeter. Converting from inch to mm is not allways so easy so what I am going to do is as long as I can I will stick with the inch, but for me when I building I always convert to mm.
They have also the enoyng thing that sometime they describe a measure as 1/4 and sometimes 0.250. And also when talking about drilling they have #53 and so on.
My solution was to create a computerprogram where I could translate all of those strange numbers to mitric.

There was two plans, the orginal plan fron 1921 and a uppdate plan.

Starting with the base..

..some milling..

Then drilling and threading the bearings to the base.

Finish the column

Making the crankshaft..

all the part together..

.. and finish

Then the flywheels

And so far..

Somthing is comming together. Now while I am waiting for some equipment, I’ll go on with the cylinder. First some center hole in the lathe..

next I have to drill ..

then some turn in the lathe.

I will be back when I have done some more progress, until then

Hej då.

Benni

Rob.Wilson · « **Reply #1 on:** January 31, 2011, 03:14:49 PM »

nice going Benni

Looks like you put your new four jaw chuck straight to work

Looking forward to seeing some more

Rob

Stilldrillin · « **Reply #2 on:** January 31, 2011, 03:27:32 PM »

Looking good Benni!

Very well shown too!

David D

ALB · « **Reply #3 on:** January 31, 2011, 05:25:06 PM »

Hello Benni,

That looks on the way to being a nice engine

How do you get the crank to stay rigid? do you just press fit them in ?

Keep them pictures a coming

James

saw · « **Reply #4 on:** January 31, 2011, 05:44:31 PM »

Hello Rob.Wilson, Stilldrillin and ALB.

Thanks for nice comment. Yes my new chuck has come in handy. It's so nice to have good tools when working with engine.

ALB:
The crankshaft was 3/16 = 4,8 mm. With some turn in the lathe I make it to 4 mm 3,2 mm long so I hade a edge. Then I use my knurling tool and then I could press everything together. It works fine.

Yes my friends I am going to continue to send in more photos and tell you a bit about it on my broken english.

(You should be very happy that you can't here me when I am typing...)

Ha det bra.
Benni

Brass_Machine · « **Reply #5 on:** January 31, 2011, 08:49:59 PM »

Don't worry about your broken English. It is much better than my non existent Swedish!

Looking very good! Keep the pictures coming.

Eric

75Plus · « **Reply #6 on:** January 31, 2011, 09:31:38 PM »

Hi Benni,

If you don't already have one here is a conversion chart for drill sizes in metric, inch and number/letter from .25mm to 1 inch.

http://academic.evergreen.edu/projects/biophysics/technotes/fabric/drill_conv.htm

And here is a simple, quick and free program for imperial to metric (or visa-versa) conversions.

http://joshmadison.com/convert-for-windows/

Dean W · « **Reply #7 on:** January 31, 2011, 09:36:18 PM »

You're doing well, Benni. This will be an enjoyable build, (for all of us!).

sbwhart · « **Reply #8 on:** February 01, 2011, 01:39:45 AM »

Good job that man

Enjoying your build Benni keep it comming.

Stew

saw · « **Reply #9 on:** February 01, 2011, 03:37:23 AM »

Hi every one and thanks for nice words.

Da_Kengineer_Meister:
A drillchuck is not the best tool for a endmill, so I take very very light cut. (I'll use the drillchuck while I'll waiting for some new eqiptment[mandrel I think the name is])

75Plus :
Thanks for the links, but as I wrote, I have build a program where I can convert all the inch, fanny numbers and so on to metrics.

Ha det

Benni

NickG · « **Reply #10 on:** February 01, 2011, 08:48:07 AM »

Nice work, should be interesting. It looks a bit like a scaled down stuart no. 1.

Nick

madjackghengis · « **Reply #11 on:** February 01, 2011, 10:07:16 AM »

Hi Benni, that is going to be a very nice looking and good running engine when you are done. I bought a kit, and ended up giving it to a close friend for Christmas, so he's building it, but the castings are good quality, and the plans are such that with modern equipment, it is much easier to build than it was eighty years ago. I have the same problem with conversion to metric and imperial, having been raised on U.S. standard, the funny thing is, any one system would work, but no one is willing to let go of their own, long accustomed, and well ingrained system. We officially adopted the metric system almost a hundred and fifty years ago, yet very little of America uses metric except in imported things primarily. I hope you get this going smoothly and quickly so we can all see a good running engine, and for all the arguing, converting to a close enough size, one that fits the job, it must do, is as good as it needs to be, I use metric when scrap parts turn out to be such, and are things like ground shafting, and bushings that fit, and just adjust things around to fit in. Great start on a nice engine

Cheers, mad jack

saw · « **Reply #12 on:** February 04, 2011, 11:50:24 AM »

Thank you every one for nice words, that is a big inspiration for me.

Some progress sense last week:

I am still working on the cylinder..
Drilling the center hole for the valve chamber..

.. and then some turns on the lathe..

..some drilling for the exhaust steam..

..cleaning up..

..threading.

The very same for the steam inlet.

Prepare for the steam channels

Those channels should be drilling at 45 degree.

Finish.

The cylinder head..

Drilling hole for the allen bolts.

Threading.

And now my friends, this part is finish.

I'll be back
Benni

Ray · « **Reply #13 on:** February 04, 2011, 01:21:02 PM »

Good job Benni.

Ray

arnoldb · « **Reply #14 on:** February 04, 2011, 02:08:52 PM »

You're doing a really nice job Benni

How big is this engine ? - it looks like it is quite small!

, Arnold

saw · « **Reply #15 on:** February 04, 2011, 02:53:28 PM »

Arnold:
Well it's a rad small engine, 138 mm.

krv3000 · « **Reply #16 on:** February 04, 2011, 06:40:46 PM »

thats shaping up niceley

Stilldrillin · « **Reply #17 on:** February 05, 2011, 04:04:29 AM »

Looking good Benni!

Taking shape nicely.....

David D

Bogstandard · « **Reply #18 on:** February 05, 2011, 04:38:51 AM »

You're doing very well there Benni.

Everything is looking great so far.

Bogs

sbwhart · « **Reply #19 on:** February 05, 2011, 05:39:30 AM »

Looking good

Stew

Dean W · « **Reply #20 on:** February 05, 2011, 07:46:35 PM »

Once again, it's looking good Benni.
It appears to use a great big valve compared to others this size.

Trion · « **Reply #21 on:** February 06, 2011, 04:06:34 AM »

Mycket bra! Looking forward to the next post!

Rob.Wilson · « **Reply #22 on:** February 06, 2011, 04:29:53 AM »

Nice work Benni

Rob

saw · « **Reply #23 on:** February 08, 2011, 03:42:43 PM »

Hello gent and thanks for kind words.

Dean W: this steam engine has an valvet chamber, a cylinder not done yet, and inside a round valve is connected. Thats why it is rada big.

Ok the story goes on.
It’s time for the bottom cover it’s a little bit tricky as you can see on the plan.

On the upper side it should pass the inside of the cylinder, to the left a hole for the column and to the right two holes for the other column.
On the bottom side a center hole for the piston rod. But as you can see there is no steam packing so I decided to modified little Kathy a bit.
First some turns in the lathe for the piston road.

Then I make the steam packing.

The top side passing for the cylinder.

Then drilling for the column.

Drilling and threading for the cylinder.

Assembling the parts so far.

I am still waiting for some equipment so I have to do this small work wail I am waiting.
I’ll be back
Benni

NickG · « **Reply #24 on:** February 08, 2011, 06:46:02 PM »

Benni,

It's all looking very good to me. Did you use a die on that packing gland thread or screwcut?

Nick

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Author Topic: Little Kathy and me (Read 26158 times)

Rob.Wilson

Rob.Wilson